CCTV cameras, water hydrants to be set up at Vaishno Devi track

The decision was taken at a meeting of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board held at Raj Bhavan here under the chairmanship of Governor Satya Pal Malik. The board also decided to prefer donations in cash over kind, at the meeting.

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The board approved a formal donation policy allowing donations as per laid down guidelines.

CCTV cameras for surveillance and water hydrants to fight forest fires will soon dot the entire 23 km track from Katra to Vaishno Devi shrine in Trikuta Hills. The decision was taken at a meeting of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board held at Raj Bhavan here under the chairmanship of Governor Satya Pal Malik. The board also decided to prefer donations in cash over kind, at the meeting.

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The board approved a formal donation policy allowing donations as per laid down guidelines. Giving details, Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board Simrandeep Singh said that the Board as per the new policy will prefer donations in cash over kind. This has been done to avoid issues relating to quality of things donated, said the CEO. However, the board will accept donations in kind in respect to only those things which are required by it for benefit of the pilgrims, he added.

The board also approved installation of CCTV surveillance system along the entire track from Darshani Deodi to Bhawan. An official spokesperson said that the system, once in place, will not only help in monitoring pilgrims’ movements but will also help the board and local administration in providing real time assistance to pilgrims. The board reviewed the to-date status of installation of a hi-tech multipurpose audio system on Tarakote Marg, from Katra to Adhkuwari. The audio system will be installed at an estimated cost of over Rs 4.55 crore, a spokesperson said.

The work on installation of dedicated Fire Hydrants from Bhawan to Adhkuwari via Himkoti and its extension along the Tarakote Marg also came up for review of the board. The installation of Fire Hydrants has been taken up on priority basis to mitigate fire incidents during summer season, the spokesperson said, adding that the project envisages lifting of treated waste water from Bhawan STP to reservoirs of 50,000 gallons capacity each at Hut Station, Bhawan, Saket, Himkoti and Adhkuwari. This project is estimated to cost Rs 3.50 crore and is slated to be completed by the PHE Department by May 2019.